Christmas Eve
by Elda Aranel
Summary: A one shot Christmas during the peace. AC and KL. Merry Christmas


Foreword: Happy Holidays. Here's a treat from me to you. I gave up a lot of Christmas time for this. Hope you like it. The song is called Eternal Snow from Changin' My Life, Myco. It's a song from Full Moon wo Sagashite, another anime. A slow, beautiful song. Try listening to it! Bye!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed. Plain and simple.

* * *

"Christmas Eve"

Cosmic Era 71. The war between the ZAFT forces and the OMNI forces was long over. In the neutral country of Orb, Cagalli Yula Atha took over as its Head Representative. She often played the mediator between ZAFT and OMNI. However, she found plenty of time to spend with Athrun Zala, Kira Yamato, and Lacus Clyne at the orphanage.

Since the war ended, the four war veterans had settled with Reverend Malchio and his war orphans. The peace and quiet was a welcomed change from the horrifying battles. Now, the weather began to cool and occasionally the snow fell. Only later did it pile up more. December began rolling near.

**_Kimi wo suki ni natte Dorekurai tatsu no kana?  
_****_Kimochi Fukurande yuku bakari de  
_****_Kimi wa Kono omoi kidzuiteiru no kana?  
_****_Ichido mo kotoba ni wa Shitenai kedo  
_****_ I'm falling in love with you, and which will come to pass?  
_****_ Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or  
_****_ Will you notice it  
_****_ Even though I've never said anything? _**

It was December 24th, CE 71 to be precise. The snow was floating gently down to the covered ground. There was no breeze. The air was merely cool. A lone car sped through the speckled air to the large cabin that housed many children. After a while it finally pulled up and parked in front of the building. A young woman stepped out of the car. The sun was nearly set, barely showing through the clouds.

Cagalli sighed softly, her breath coming out as a thin mist. She walked through the snow to the door and entered. She had not even closed the door when she was tackled by a group of children.

"Cagalli!" they cried out cheerfully. She laughed and hugged each one, before she could finally close the door. She walked in to the living room with them and was greeted by her friends.

"Welcome back, Cagalli," Lacus said. She sat in a chair by the Christmas tree, handing various ornaments to the children, as they put them on the tree.

"Are you just now decorating the tree?" Cagalli asked lightheartedly. Athrun chuckled; Lacus and Kira smiled.

"The kids didn't want to do it without you here," Athrun said. "When they heard you were finally coming today, they couldn't wait any longer."

"So I'm in time to help out, right?" Cagalli guessed.

"Yeah," he replied. He gazed at her, catching her eyes. She blushed softly and looked away.

"So what can I help with?" she asked.

"Well, you can help us with the tree," Lacus said. "Some of the kids were going with Athrun and Kira to hang up some lights outside."

"Works with me," she said.

For the next hour, she assisted in hanging ornaments on the tree. The children rattled on and on about what they had been doing. Cagalli and Lacus laughed along. When they extra boxes were put away and everything done, the children gathered in the room.

"Now what?" Kira asked. Some of the children smiled.

"How about a story?" Mia suggested.

"What sort of story?" Cagalli looked at them. She pulled out a few books from the nearby shelf. "There's the Night Before Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph…"

"Rudolph!" some exclaimed. A few others called, "Night Before Christmas!"

"The Night Before Christmas is a classic," Lacus said. "Let's read that one." The children agreed eagerly.

"Okay," Cagalli said, "and I totally volunteer Athrun for the job." While everyone else agreed, Athrun glared softly at Cagalli.

"Thanks a lot, Cagalli," he said. She only smiled and tossed him the book. He caught it. As the boys and girls crowded around the young man as he sat down. Lacus let a young girl settle on her lap. Meanwhile, Cagalli pulled Kira out of the room, without the kids noticing, of course.

**_Yuki no youni Tada shizukani  
_****_Furitsumori Tsudzukete yuku  
_****_Like snow, but quietly  
_****_It continues to pile up _**

As Athrun began to read, Cagalli spoke with Kira. "I have those presents in my car."

"Great," Kira said. "So you're here all tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not missing Christmas with my friends and family," Cagalli said hotly. "Everyone was trying to get me to attend some lame Christmas party. That included wearing a damn dress."

Kira laughed. Cagalli could never stand social events, especially formal ones. "Well, glad to have you."

Later that evening, the children were asleep in bed. Malchio had also retired for the night, leaving the four teens to their work. Athrun and Kira brought the toys into the cabin and stashed them in Cagalli's room. Then Lacus and Cagalli spent the late hours wrapping the gifts while the guys tagged them.

"It's strange, you know," Cagalli said. "To actually have a Christmas without war." She taped wrapping paper ends.

"You're right," Athrun said. "Heck, I spent the few years before the war in the military academy. Christmas was small and with a few friends. Father was too busy and mother…well, she died. I can barely remember the last time we spent Christmas together. I remember my parents' smiling faces, and how happy everyone was. There's nothing much to remember, though."

"Parents involved with politics don't seem to spend much time with their families," Cagalli said. "My mother died when I was really young, three, I think. My father and I always celebrated together. I remember that last Christmas we spent together, before the war.

"He was working the morning and came home in the early afternoon. We went to a large Christmas party hosted by his friends later. When we finished there, we went home and had our own dinner. It was just us two. I especially remember sitting by the fire with him that night. He gave me a small present. When I opened it, it was a small dolphin pendent, made of gold, on a fine chain. I adored it."

**_Hold me tight Konna omoi _****_nara  
_****_Dareka wo suki ni naru kimochi  
_****_Shiritaku Nakatta yo  
_****_Hold me tight if I think like this  
_****_I didn't want to know  
_****_What it was like to fall in love with someone _**

"So that's where you got that necklace," Lacus nodded at her friend, who was wearing the said necklace. Cagalli nodded.

"It was one of the last things he ever gave me," she said, a little bit sad. But she cheered up and looked at Lacus. "What about you? What about your last Christmas?"

Lacus smiled thoughtfully. "It was two years before the war started. My father took that day off and refused to answer a single call. I woke up that morning and had breakfast with my father. Aunt Rosa was there too. We opened our gifts and just enjoyed talking and playing around. I later helped Aunt Rosa make dinner. I remember dropped the mashed potatoes all over the floor." Everyone laughed softly, as to not wake the kids. "Then we had a quiet dinner and just settled for the evening."

Lacus touched her hairpin. "Father gave this clip to me that day. I sort of miss him now and then." Kira wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She smiled at him.

"Honestly, how can you guys all say that I have it rough?" Kira asked. "I've had an easier life than you."  
"Let's see, you've only been through hell and back again," Cagalli said. "Before the war, well…" She stuck her tongue out at her immaturely. Everyone giggled.

"Tell us about your last Christmas, Kira," Athrun said. "No reason to leave you out."

"It was that last Christmas before I entered the war," Kira began. "I spent that morning with Sai, Miri, Kuzzey, and Tolle." Athrun winced at hearing Tolle's name, still remembering the battle and the events that ensued. "We were at college, with Professor Kato and some other students. We left early to hang out, exchange presents. Later we split and went home. My parents had made dinner and we opened our gifts. It was quiet and simply.

"It wasn't too happy, though. I met with Tolle and the others to watch a fireworks display. Miriallia said her grandfather, on her mother's side, died in an accident. We were upset, since Mr. Carson was a friend to us. He always helped with problems and came with us to the firework display. It was strange, starting the New Year with a funeral."

"That's so sad," Lacus said. She handed Athrun the last gift to label. "How was Miri?"

"Upset for a while," Kira answered. "But she got over it and went back to her usual self."

"I guess in some way, our last Christmases were not perfect. Someone was always missing," Cagalli said. Her friends nodded.

"Not anymore, though," Lacus said. "We have each other, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

**_I love you Namida tomaranai  
_****_Konnan ja Kimi no koto  
_****_Shirazuni ireba Yokatta yo  
_****_I love you; my tears won't stop  
_****_Therefore, I should be free of you _**

Athrun, Cagalli, Kira, and Lacus smiled. Finally, Cagalli stood, "Well, we better get these presents under the tree and get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be chaos."

"Definitely," Athrun said. "Kids always wake up early on Christmas."

Cagalli picked up an armful of packages and walked out of the room, followed by the others. Lacus and Cagalli arranged the gifts. They heard someone behind them suddenly and turned around to see Cherish. She was a younger girl, only ten, who adored Lacus and vice versa. Her brown hair was ruffled and she seemed half asleep.

"Cherish, what are you doing up?" Lacus whispered to her.

"I was thirsty and couldn't sleep," she replied.

"We didn't wake you, did we?" Lacus asked. She knelt down by the girl. Cherish shook her head.

She said, "No. I thought you were all asleep. I came down and saw you bringing the presents out from Miss Cagalli's room."

"Oh," Cagalli sighed. "So much for the Santa act, right?"

Cherish smiled and shook her head. "I don't care. I think you're all better than Santa."

"Thank you," Lacus said as she hugged the little girl close. "Let's go get you some water, okay?" She led Cherish from the room, leaving the other three to finish putting everything together. Finally, with the room neat and the tree lit, the four parted for the night. Lacus tucked Cherish back into bed, careful not to wake her roommates.

"Night," she whispered, before closing the door softly.

"Wake up, it's Christmas!" The four teens woke up, in their own rooms, to this line. The children split up into groups to harass the four. Cagalli resisted the urge to throw a pillow at them. Lacus rubbed her eyes and smiled. Kira laughed at the kids' antics as they bounced around excitedly. Athrun just sighed and shooed them off, smiling. Everyone was around the tree, trying to find their presents.

"Breakfast first," Lacus reminded them. Some whined but others rushed to volunteer to help.

While Lacus and a few children cooked a simply but delicious breakfast, Cagalli and the guys helped set the table, with the kids assisting as well. Lacus let the kids mix the batter for pancakes while she cooked that bacon and eggs. Deeming it safe enough to leave alone, she left the stove on and off to help them poor batter onto the flat griddle. Some decided to make fun shapes like stars and letters by pouring the batter on with spoons. Lacus simply laughed.

It was an hour later before they all sat down to eat. All the children chatted and squirmed impatiently. Lacus and Cagalli managed to get them to finish and help with the cleaning before they all crowded into the living room. One by one, they were handed their gifts. One child would open his or her gift, show it to everyone, and then move off to let the others in. It was a long but sweet process that lasted two hours. It all ended with everyone playing with their new toys. Some went to the teens to get help opening some of the packages. Some of the boys took the boy-group present to the rec-room to set it up. It was a new video game system that Cagalli thought everyone could share. Most of the girls got together to set up the dance-dance-revolution system on the other side of the rec-room.

When they were all occupied, Cagalli sighed and looked at her friends. "Kids are exhausting." They laughed.

"At least they're happy," Kira said. "Meanwhile, we're stuck cleaning and cooking dinner."

"That'll be fun," Cagalli said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, if we don't get that turkey roasting now, it'll never get done," Lacus said, walking off to the kitchen. Malchio shooed the other three off to help her while he finished straightening up the room.

**_Kimi wo itsumade omotteiru no kana?  
_****_Tameiki ga mado GARASU(Glass) Kumoraseta  
_****_How long will I keep thinking of you?  
_****_My sigh makes the window glass fog up _**

"Miss Lacus, can we go outside and play?" a boy, Mark, came asked later. He was accompanied by Roy, Scott, and Gregory. Roy held a small sled, an indication that they wanted to go sledding. That also meant that they would have to walk to the hill nearby. The kids just about never went any distance past the cabin's perimeter without one of the teens or Reverend Malchio.

"Well…" she thought about it as she glanced around to the others. Cagalli shrugged.

"I don't see any problem with that, other than someone would need to go with you," she replied.

The boys looked crestfallen. They didn't want to drag the teens from their tasks, despite the teens could care less.

"We could go alone," Roy said. "We'll be in a big group. And we'll be careful. Promise!" The four looked at each other.

"It's not like they'll be a mile away," Athrun said. "As long as they're careful and stay together, I don't see why not."

"I concur," Lacus said. Kira and Cagalli nodded. To the boys, Lacus said, "Try to be back in an hour, to at least check in. Dress warmly."

"All right!" they cheered and then the boys turned tail and fled the kitchen.

The day was long and yet, it was warm and sweet. It was the first Christmas the teens had had in ages that was just about as perfect as a Christmas could get. Sure, they could be with their old friends from the war, with their families, but the seeing the children happy was just enough. Dinner went smoothly. Everyone pitched in to help clean. No one fussed about getting ready for bed either. The sun had already set, lighting the sky in oranges and pinks, and dying the few ribbons of clouds left over from last night's snowfall.

The four teens sat cuddled up near the fireplace. Cagalli sat in front of Athrun on the floor, leaning against the chair. Lacus leaned against Kira as they sat on the sofa.

"This has been quite the day," Cagalli thought idly aloud.

"Yeah, I didn't even get the chance to call my parents," Kira stated. The room fell silent. A lot did get done but there were still some things left that never did get done. Calling friends, sending gifts and Christmas cards, parties, and exchanging their own gifts.

"Hello," a shy voice said from the door. They turned to see Cherish and her friend, Mia, standing in the door way. Each held two packages.

"Hey," Cagalli said. "Why are you two still up? Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah," Mia said, "but we wanted to give you your presents."

"That's sweet," Lacus said softly. "You didn't have to."

Cherish shook her head. "You're always being nice to us and helping us. We wanted to get something for you."

They hand the four their gifts. Cherish settled on Lacus's lap when she was pulled up. Mia curled up by Athrun and Cagalli. They unwrapped the gifts. Lacus found a long box under the silver paper. She opened the lid and found a pair of silver painted hair chopsticks with tiny snowflake charms dangling from the ends. Lacus smiled and hugged Cherish.

**_Yureru kokoro Tomosu KYANDORU(Candle) de  
_****_Ima Tokashite Yukenai kana?  
_****_Now, a burning candle  
_****_Can't melt my shaking heart anymore? _**

Athrun found a new watch with leather bands. The boys ended up breaking his other watch a month back. Cagalli smirked. "Now you can on time," she teased. Athrun laughed.

"I've rarely been late to anything," he replied.

"I know, I know," Cagalli said. She looked at her gift and saw a sterling silver bracelet. It was has intricate rose buds every few links. She turned and smiled to Mia. "Thanks. It's beautiful." Mia grinned and hugged Cagalli and Athrun.

Kira received a small photo album. The cover was a deep navy color. "We know you have those pictures but no where to put them," Cherish said suddenly.

"Thanks," Kira said. Cherish moved over and hugged him. He hugged her back for a moment.

"So tell us, how did you get these?" Cagalli asked. "I don't recall you every leaving the cabin."

Mia smiled. "We did. When Cherish went with Reverend."

"You mean for that doctor's appointment?" Athrun asked. "I know you went with her."

"Yup!" Cherish nodded enthusiastically. "Reverend let us pick some presents for you after we saw the doctor."

"I see," Cagalli mused. "Thanks for thinking about us. It's nice to know that we're not forgotten in the rush of things."

"You're welcome!" Mia and Cherish chirped happily. They all sat together before Lacus broke the silence.

"Well, you two better get into bed," she told them. "It's been a long day." They nodded and left the room swiftly, giggling.

"That was nice of them," Lacus remarked.

"Yeah," Athrun said. "That reminds me. I did my own Christmas shopping the other day. Probably should get those, while we're still awake and have peace and quiet." Cagalli stood to let Athrun up, who then left the room.

"Same here," Cagalli said.

"Unless I'm mistaken, we all did Christmas shopping," Kira said. Lacus nodded her head. The three followed Athrun out of the room to their own bedrooms. A moment later, they all met again in the living room.

They exchanged gifts and sat back down in their original spots, only Cagalli sat by Athrun, instead on in front of him.

**_Hold me tight Oreru hodo tsuyoku  
_****_Kogarashi Fubuki ni deatte mo  
_****_Samukunai youni to  
_****_Hold me tight, strong enough to break me  
_****_If we meet in a biting cold blizzard  
_****_I won't feel cold, and _**

"Take turns?" Cagalli offered. There was a silent agreement. The other silent agreement was that Athrun went first, since he sort of started it. He opened Cagalli's first, probably out of fear she would hit him.

She had bought him a black jacket, with white on the collar and cuffs. "That's nice," he said.

"Glad you like it. It was just you," Cagalli smirked.

"Lacus is next," Athrun called. While Athrun was afraid of Cagalli's wrath, Lacus and Kira were easygoing. Lacus chose Cagalli's gift. It was the larger one.

"I can probably guess," Lacus said, tearing the green and red paper off. She lifted the box lid off and pushed aside the tissue paper. A light lavender dress lay nestled in the tissue paper. She pulled it out and stood, holding it close to her body. A sun dress design, it fell to her knees, hugging her body a little bit. It was sleeveless, without any other colors.

"I love it," Lacus said. "Where did you find this?"

"Mariposa's," Cagalli said. "It was a chore to get away from Kisaka's security to shop."

"I bet," Kira laughed. Lacus folded the dress back up and placed it in the box. Lacus nodded to Kira. He opened the gift from Cagalli as well. He found it was a book. Actually, it was part of a series he had been slowly reading.

"Thanks," he said. "Saves me the trouble of finding the next book."

"Been there, done that," was all Cagalli said. She pulled out one from Athrun. She found it was a glass chess set. She smirked and looked at him.

"Is this a challenge?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Personally, I'd love to see you try beating me." Kira chuckled.

"Watch out, Athrun," he said. "She's good."

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed the thought, but secretly, he didn't doubt it. He opened the next present from Kira. It was the newest version of the palm pilot. Quite a handy gadget. Everyone had him go ahead and open the last one. It was a photo album from Lacus. It was dark green with a black bind.

"Same reasons as Cherish?" he asked, smiling. Lacus nodded. She open her other gifts. One was a snowflake necklace, made of crystal on a silver chain, from Kira.

**_I miss you Kimi wo omou tabi  
_****_Amikake no Kono MAFURAA(Muffler)  
_****_Konya_****_ mo hitori Dakishimeru yo  
_****_I miss you everytime I think of you  
_****_This scarf that I knit for you  
_****_I'm holding it alone tonight _**

"What do you know? It matches with Cherish's present!" she giggled. Everyone laughed. Adding to the irony was Athrun's gift, which was a pair of crystal teardrop earrings.

"I guess you have a new outfit to wear tomorrow," Cagalli said.

"Yes indeed," Lacus replied. The spotlight was back on Kira. From Athrun, he received a new laptop.

"Yeah, I knew your last one was destroyed on Heliopolis," he said nervously. "So…yeah."

Kira smiled. "Thanks. You did own there." The whole incident of Heliopolis was long past. Sensitive, but it was no longer painful for anyone, save the occasional guilt Athrun felt. Lacus and Athrun must have collaborated, since Lacus gave him a small bag for the laptop and a few program CD's for it.

That left Cagalli to finish the evening. She opened Kira's gift and had to laugh. A nice set of pens.

"Did I complain that much about not having any pens?" she asked.

Kira only smiled and nodded. Cagalli was too lazy to get up but she said, "Thank you so much!"

The last one was from Lacus. It wasn't a dress but a nice outfit. The denim pants were plain but came with a black belt. The shirt was casual, red with a golden dragon printed on the lower side.

"This is nice. Thank you, Lacus," Cagalli said. The four sat silently, merely enjoying each other's company. The fire crackled on and off. It was near midnight when they finally decided to call it a night. They cleaned up and moved their new belongings to their rooms. Cagalli looked out her window and saw a full moon, dimming the stars around it. The rest of the sky shone with many stars and galaxies. She grabbed her jacket and walked outside through the scarce trees. She stood, gazing out at the ocean. Suddenly, she felt someone's arms around her. She turned her head to see Athrun. He pressed his lips against her cheek. Warm and content, Cagalli leaned gently against him.

"Well, this has been the best Christmas ever," she said gently.

"Definitely the best," Athrun agreed. "Personally, just being with you today made it wonderful."

"Flatterer," Cagalli grumbled. She felt his chest move as he chuckled.

"Fine, I'll be blunt," he said. "I love you and enjoy just being with you. Happy?"

"Very," she said, turning around. Her lips found his in a passionate kiss. His arms were still around her waist as hers were around his neck.

**_Eien ni furu yukiga aru _****_nara  
_****_Kimi he to tsudzuku kono omoi Kakuseru no kana?  
_****_If there were an eternally falling snow  
_****_This feeling I have for you, could I hide it? _**

A soft knock alerted Kira to Lacus's presence as she entered the room. He stood by the window, looking out at the ocean. He saw Cagalli and Athrun a short walk from the cabin. He turned his attention to Lacus as she walked up to him.

"Thought I would say goodnight," she said. Kira pulled her into his embrace. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Sweet and simple. He pulled away. "Goodnight."

Lacus smiled. "And a Merry Christmas."

**_Hold me tight Konna omoi _****_nara  
_****_Dareka wo suki ni naru kimochi  
_****_Shiritaku Nakatta yo  
_****_Hold me tight if I think like this  
_****_I didn't want to know  
_****_What it was like to fall in love with someone_**

After New Year's, Kira and Athrun were both pulling in new pictures in their photo albums. One was of the four teens on Christmas the Malchio had taken. The kids were all around them, everyone smiling. Another was with the four cooking dinner and later enjoying their evening. One showed Kira playing soccer with a few of the boys; another showed Athrun being tackled on the ground. Then there was Lacus in her new dress and accessories, singing to the children before bed. After that was Cagalli, drafted and sorely losing on the DDR game against the young girls. The last photo was the four war veterans sitting together on the porch, with sparklers. Another year with fond memories.

**_I love you Mune ni komiageru  
_****_Fuyuzora ni sakebitai  
_****_Ima sugu kimi ni Aitai yo  
_****_I love you; my chest fills up  
_****_I want to cry out to the winter sky  
_****_I want to see you now_**

**_

* * *

_**

Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! School's been hell but I'm coming back slowly but surely! Thanks. Elda Aranel


End file.
